The Skraelings (retold)

I was asked for more details on the skraelings story from Candlemass, so here it is.

Candlemass had said it was nearly midsummer's night eve, and the guard had already changed twice by the time he went on patrol. The moon was sitting, swung so it sat nearly on the horizon, so it almost seemed like a part of the houses whose lights shone steadily in town. The wall was, as always, ablaze with torches set in brackets on the wall's walkway itself at a regular ten foot interval, and the entire place smelled of tar and pitch.

The evening had been particularly hot and close- it felt like the night was a blanket, pressing in on you, closing in wetly on the perimeter the torches cast. It was a close darkness, and watchful. Even past the firelight, Candlemass could see eyes, glinting at him from the darkness.

Some, he knew, were probably wild animals. But only some.

Questions...

Someone just mentioned this to me- I never did think to question why Candlemass decided to hang around me in the first place. This will definitely be something I ask him, as well as the apparent age-time differences a lot of you have pointed out to me, and I never thought of asking him about, either.

While you were gone...

So apparently what was going on was a great deal more than I had expected. Candlemass had mentioned the Red Skull scare wasn't the worst of his problems in the village, but I had no idea how far that extended. But I'll tell you what Candlemass told me.

wtf wasps?

I just found a huge old wasp's nest in the kitchen, chilling on the sideboard.

My mom doesn't know how it got there, and neither does my dad, and I'll be fucked if I put it there.

I threw that motherfucker right in the garbage. Screw that shit.

A Better Morning

My day just got infinitely better. Candlemass showed up right after the dude did, maybe with about an hour leeway. He loomed out of the shadows right next to where I was working, looking ominous. Startled me pretty badly, seeing something yellow and billowing out of the corner of my eye where nothing had been before.

Furthermore, his nose and forehead were bloody, and he was wiping his face with the back of his wrist even as he was speaking to me. "Chickadee, are you alright?" Apparently, he'd gotten wind of what had happened earlier this morning due to the fact that the person was actually a village council member who was incredibly sore that his hero Candlemass wasn't around for him to fanboy on. He also assured me he'd given Crow a drubbing for what he'd done to me, the rest of the council be damned. He was the one who recalled Candlemass for the Red Skull scare, which hadn't been nearly as serious as Candlemass had thought.

As straight from Candlemass's lips: "Nathaniel Crow needs to get a life. He has to understand that what I'm doing here has importance, too." I'd never seen him look so serious before- his eyes have a habit of getting much bigger, and his mouth thinner, so he looks a bit older than he really is when he does that.

After making doubly sure I was okay ("I'm okay, Candlemass, I'm okay!") he told  me he had to go again. He was handling a particularly troublesome case back in the village at the moment, which he promised to tell me about when he gets back.

Weird morning

Worst morning in a while. I guess I have been being a problem for Candlemass's village, only he didn't really want to admit it to me. Early this morning, before the sun had even fully risen, I woke up again to the same man standing over my bed- as soon as my eyes opened, he leaned down to pin me down in my bed.

I've taken self-defense classes, so you better believe I beat his sorry ass off of me. Two palm-punches to the head, two the solar plexus had him off of me, and backing up to the door, guarding himself. The weirdest thing was, even though I was scared, the altercation had this weird, dreamy quality to it, as if my body was moving of it's own volition, and I was just sort of standing, watching myself. Maybe it was because I was high off of the adrenaline, maybe it really was just a dream.

Whatever it was, the guy didn't come at me a second time, and when I saw him duck out the door, I saw he was wearing a cloak, but it was dark blue.

I'm guessing it was someone from Candlemass's village, and I'm beginning to wonder if I did the right thing fighting him off. What if he wasn't trying to hurt me? He didn't really seem that intent on murdering me, and if he had been, I'm pretty sure he would have tried it a second time.

I guess we'll see. He hasn't come back to explain himself

Recall

02-27-12 Last night, Candlemass woke me up, looking strangely grim and urgent. "I'm being recalled, Chickadee." Apparently, his "vacation" of sort has been cut short, and the village council is making him come back for regular duties. He said not to cry, and not to worry, because he'll drop in sometimes to make sure I'm okay. I'm not sure if this means I won't see him at all anymore, and I really hope not. He gave me a kiss on the forehead, rearranged my blankets, and said "Sweet dreams, Chickadee." And was gone. He wasn't here when I woke up, but there was a note on the table that reminded me to keep practicing my exercises, and to call him if I needed him. (With this, what's left in terms of updating has been finished. I'll start posting new stuff now. Is anybody actually reading this?)

A Yellow Cloak?

02-26-12 When I came in, neither the rope, nor the yellow thing underneath it were there. I was busy, so I didn't have time to check it out right away, but when I went back, it was already gone.

Work book

02-26-12 1:51 pm Have been going through more of Candlemass's workbook. There are fewer ink entries than I thought there would be. Lost of it is scribbled in charcoal. Apparently Candlemass has been recalled briefly to attend to some business "at home". He says there's been a new outbreak of Red Skulls, and he has to go incinerate the corpses. He looked pretty grim when he said it, and I understand why. According to his workbook, Red Skulls look superficially like bovines, but they also devour humans. So while a farmer is at first pleased with his strange new addition, he will soon regret it. I think despite his appearances, Candlemass is an animal lover. He told me to keep reviewing his workbook while he was gone. Here is a pic of the entry with the Red Skull. Entry reads: Tooth of Red Skull, agt. 4 yrs Red Skulls often insinuate into large herds. Will stay apprx. 4 months before devouring master. Back molars ideal for crushing bones.

Also, taking pics while I read the workbook and try to puzzle through it, which is why I am taking a bit long. Aside for, you know, work and stuff. Rhyme reads: From the edge of Darkness to the edge of Night, searching ever onwards for the fading Light. Page opposite is diagram of apparently a concentration exercise. Caption reads: CONCENTRATION is KEY.

The Workbook

02-25-12 6:17 pm

Candlemass has left me what looks like his workbook on my desk, complete with diagrams and rhymes, and a little note. (Note: Pictures to follow after cut)

Shenanigans

02-25-12: 12:05 am

Another thing I've discovered is he's a little uneasy about me taking pictures of him, but he's mostly chill about me journaling about him. Since it's not catching him in one place(which he's protested about with pictures), I think it's okay. I don't exactly know what he means, but that's what he said.

He's fallen asleep on my bed. I'm going to have to kick him off before going to bed myself.

02-25-12 7:49 am

Woke up this morning to a man standing in my doorway- since it was still before the sun actually rose, I couldn't make out anything except a black outline. When I noticed him, he took a step to my bed and leaned over me.

Judgement, an unfinished story

2-24-12: 9:50 pm

The weather is getting ugly, and it makes Candlemass a little wistful. As he says, his most difficult jobs in terms of the supernatural came during the winter, while most of his difficult jobs in terms of humans always came in the summer.

Candlemass's Solo Patrols and The Planes

02-24-12: 8:11 am

While I still have a bit of time, I could tell you another story I remember Candlemass telling me.

A Surprise Visit and Other Stuff

2-23-12, 7:18 pm:

Shit, I'm guessing my training started a little earlier than Candlemass probably intended. I came back because I forgot something at the house, and the downstairs lights were off, and something was waiting for me downstairs. I couldn't see it, but I could feel it.

It hated me. It wanted to see me cry and suffer. As soon as I walked in, it became hard to breathe. I started to get a little faint, and the world went a little grey.

And then I saw it. Have you ever smelled rotting flesh, /x/? Not pleasant. It was grinning at me, from the corner. The worse I got the happier it was.

And then I got mad. I hate things like that more than anything else in the world. It stopped grinning. It looked scared. The madder I got, the more frightened it looked.

I was so angry, I was even shaking. I think I took a step towards it, with the intention of strangling the non-life from its very body when it just seemed to.... run away I guess.

I came to, lying on the floor, with someone saying "Chickadee" to me, but I was alone. Maybe it was in my head? My ribs hurt like hell.

9:58


Sorry, I went back to work after my unfortunate encounter with whatever the fuck that was. My ribs still hurt like hell, and it hurts to breathe. Do you get bruises if you break your ribs?

Anyway, the lights were back on when I went back into the house. It was warm, and nothing seemed amiss. Candlemass was already waiting for me in the kitchen. His back was turned to me before he heard me come in, hood up. I figured he'd just got in too, and when he turned around to look at me, he looked highly upset.

"Chickadee, I'm so sorry." He had said. He explained that, somehow, the thing must have gotten wind of what we were doing, and what was going on, and tried to pounce early. Apparently, I hadn't forgotten all of my training, though, since I stood up to it instead of running away or becoming afraid. Since I'd performed so admirably, he figured he didn't need to train further in that respect. I guess it's one of those things where you have it or you don't.

He tested my ribs, and affirmed that I, indeed, had fucked them up, and checked out the shin I didn't know I had. I guess the ardrenaline still hasn't worn off.

I'm pretty beat, guys. For once, Candlemass didn't head off. He's laying in my bed, watching my TV, hypnotized, and eating my snack food.

10:01

Candlemass wants to know what I'm doing. I'm telling him I'm journaling this. Not untrue, but he made a scornful little sound and started rooting around for my candy.

He's usually really high-speed, and super efficient, so seeing him basically like that is really funny.

He just sat up, and started telling me a story about my Nana. wtf. She never liked him, he said. Would see him, but always hissed at him and throw crap at him. I think her seeing him freaked him out the most.

On "Watchers" and Dustfinger:

Haha, he's a little confused. He gave me the definitions for the ones he knows in this realm that he's familiar with, and the one he's from. Apparently, where he's from, Watchers live in lakes and ponds, and suck in unsuspecting people- they also have weird sucker-y type limbs that can grab living things and pull them into the water, but apparently they're more like hands, and they have eyestalks on them. ew.

He hasn't heard of Dustfinger, either, but he's curious about that, and he's told me to figure it out when I can. He wants to know. He hasn't heard of anyone else in his village that's mastered fire. It's a sort of inherent thing; you either have it or you don't. Apparently. And he says he's never read or heard of anyone mastering fire, either.

I think he's pretty limited to his experiences and what he's read.

11:44:

Candlemass is pressuring me to go to bed and get off of "that infernal contraption". I didn't point out he's dangerously close to becoming a TV addict.

I did ask about his age, and he laughed when I asked if he was my age, mid-twenties. "Much, much older. Older than even your country would remember."

Also, there are things he won't go toe-to-toe with. He's told me about things that live in "the wandering void", which are massive, and basically no-one wants to meet or fuck with.

Right- there are also these things that are apparently so large that we can only comfortably see parts of them. Like one leg, stretching up into the sky, and their bodies several hundred feet above you, another leg a mile away. He doesn't fuck with those.

Also, there seems to be a snake that lives in the upper parts of the atmosphere- it's about a mile long, and it sounds like thunder when it goes past. When he sees or hears one, he always makes sure to hide well, because they do land indiscriminately for prey.

Luckily, these things seem to be very rare, and with the exception of the snake, summoned instead of being natural beings. He says they usually live on other planes.

Man, I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight.

Candlemass is laughing at my expression, but he's huddling on my bed. I think he's a bit afraid. And now he's pressuring me to go to bed again.

I may as well, once I kick him off. Good night for now!

Lowest of the Earth

02-23-12
I was working when Candlemass sort of popped up from my right side, scaring me half to death. He didn't bat an eye as to what I was doing, just dragged me out so he could talk to me better.

He told me, quickly, that he'd be back for me tonight with some more details, but he figured that this night, I would just stay at home and get reacquainted with some of the stuff around the house.

Random Thoughts on Candlemass

After we visited the old house, and Candlemass lit whatever that thing was on fire, he insisted we stop by the old church that was practically right next door to the house.

Return of Candlemass and Story Time

To my barrage of questions, Candlemass listened patiently, and patted my face indulgently. He told me he'd been out on an extended patrol, which took him very far away from here. He did things and saw things which made him think he'd never see happiness, or even the light of day again. But then, there would always be a new day, and more work to be done.

Welcome Home

Sadly, I am going to bed for now. It's been a long day at work, and I need rest. One thing I want to note. The more tired I am, the more likely I am to see Candlemass. I saw him just tonight, standing far away from me in a field. I could tell it was him because of the yellow cloak.

Training and Games

But as I was saying, I was beginning to grow a bit disinterested in the whole training as the newest line of Punishers thing. I would put myself into dangerous and uncomfortable positions all for the sake of "training". I hated the darkness when I was younger (still do), and the fact that I KNEW there were things there because of Candlemass made it even worse.

The Stalkers and Other Thoughts

Aside for the skraelings, he told me about what sounded like stilt-legged things. I can't remember the name he told me for them. Skinners or Stalkers or something. The Stalkers seemed to be a particularly bad experience for him.

A New Friend

My house still seemed to be Candlemass's most comfortable domain, but I started seeing him around more places than just my bedroom. Usually, I would catch a flash of something bright, or the reflection of light in some shiny surface, and he'd be there, leaning against a table or counter or door frame, staring at me. Candlemass had these really sharp blue eyes, which were slightly unsettling to look at. It was almost like looking at an electrical storm.

Random Encounters (Second Candlemass post)

Of course, I could have gotten his name wrong, because he only said his name that once, and he never corrected me when I called him Candlemass. But it's what I almost remember him saying.

"But you can call me Jack." He said, something I remember clearly. Or, at least, seem to. Thinking abut it, I probably would have called him that. After he told me his name, I automatically asked him what he was doing in my room. He smiled again, and it looked like his smile went up too far.

"I take little children who are bad, and stay up too late."

First post of Candlemass

Lately, I've been thinking about something that happened to me when I was younger. Today, I have a somewhat hard time telling the difference between what's real and what's not. I guess I've always sort of had that problem. I have some memories that I know can't be physically possible, but I also had a really vivid imagination, especially when I was younger.

Introduction Post

For the sake of simplicity, I've created a blog to record what I've already written, and to potentially record what will happen. Due to my hectic lifestyle, I only update intermittently, but I hope you can bear with me.